B2 Chapter 141: Roadside Encounter

Astride Porkchop’s back, Kaius took in the rolling hills of the frontier. It was a gorgeous environment, shining with bright green grasses that stretched as far as the eye could see. Rocky outcroppings broke up the landscape, jutting out of the earth every which way.

Most were small, but some were larger than houses. Thankfully, the stone features were relatively spread apart, so it was still an easy walk over the gentle rises as they picked their way through the jutting stone.

Other than that, there was plenty of dense brush that grew in wide patches, providing shelter for small animals and grazing locations for larger ones. Or beasts, Kaius supposed. It was odd to think about, but there really weren’t any normal animals left.

Thankfully, in the day and a half since leaving Three Fields they had yet to encounter anything that had tried to give them a go. That said, it was only a matter of time. The average level of things seemed to be rising dramatically with the increase in mana. Already it was rare to see something under level ten.

Mostly though, it had been birds and small beasts that had been more than happy to give them a wide berth, though they had seen a deer-like plains-runner underneath one of the rare trees that dotted the landscape. The thing had threatened them with a false charge, but when they kept moving it had let them be.

Honestly, at this point Kaius wished that something would try to take a bite out of them. If only so that they could start gaining some levels before things got really feisty.

Shifting in his saddle, Porkchop groaned dramatically beneath him.

“What the hells have you been eating, fatty? You feel like you weigh more than an oak log.” Porkchop moaned, faking a stumble.

Kaius rolled his eyes. Porkchop’s armour had to be three times his weight, and he’d seen Porkchop shoulder it like it was nothing.

“Yeah, yeah. How’re you finding being out of the Sea? Is the wider world all you thought it would be?” he asked, making some simple conversation to pass the time.

“Honestly? It’s bloody weird how open this space is. There’s just nothing but rocks and grass as far as the eye can see. Every time we get to the top of one of these hills it feels like the sky is looming over me, like the ground is going to fall away.” Porkchop murmured, the slightest unease coming through their bond.

Kaius nodded. He knew the feeling, apparently it was common for those that grew up in and around the Sea, though thankfully it was far less prominent than the last time he had crossed the frontier.

“Father told me it was normal on my first trip, for those that are used to closer confines at least. It should pass, just you being unused to being able to see so far or something. I’m still not sure if I like being this exposed, but I got over the worst of it in a week or so.” he reassured, sharing what he knew of the strange phenomena.

“That’s something, at least.”

They lapsed into silence, continuing on their journey. At their current clip, they would likely see the walls of Deadacre by the time a few weeks had passed. They could push faster, but that would leave Porkchop drained; no need to exhaust the poor bastard when he was already kind enough to lug him around.

He went back to scanning the passing rock formations, as he had gotten into the habit of. Explorer’s Toolkit incessantly nudged him if he went without for longer than a few minutes, urging him to survey the many vantage spots where creatures could lurk unnoticed.

He scanned the hillside, leaning on the acuity of True Sight to see far farther than he otherwise could have. Both skills had seen some good growth from his constant vigilance, which made him all the happier to adhere to the instincts of his skill. Every single level brought with it a little splash of joy, as unused as he was to no longer being constrained by the caps of an unclassed.

Peering into the shadows that lurked between the jutting spires of grey stone, he expected to find nothing like he had the last several dozen times he had scouted their surroundings.

Stone, stone, grass, stone, bush, stone, fur, grass, bush, stone.

**Ding! Explorer’s Toolkit has reached level 29!**

His mind caught up to his eyes, and he came to a screeching halt as his skill blared an insistent warning to him. Fur? His eyes whipped back to a crack between two boulders, his angle obscuring a decent look into the pathway between them.

Nothing.

Yet he knew what he saw, and knew to trust the warning instincts that thrummed within him. Despite the potential danger, a wide grin split his mouth.

Finally.

“Don’t react, but we have something stalking us along the hill line far to our left. I only caught a glimpse of it, but it was definitely something and its setting off the hazard sense of Explorer’s Toolkit something fierce.” Kaius said in an even voice, maintaining a slow back and forth of the ridgeline for a few moments before he returned his eyes to the front like he had found nothing.

“Really?! Thank the bloody Matriarchs, we haven’t had a good fight in over a week.” Porkchop exclaimed, a hungry glee radiating across their bond.

Kaius felt that hungry desire waken his own Song, igniting a glimmering ember in his heart.

“Hopefully they’re tough enough, it’d be good to work up a good sweat,” he agreed. “Let’s keep moving, see if we can bait them into a committed attack.”

Porkchop grunted, and kept pushing forward. Though Kaius did notice his bond-brother’s ears twitching with every shift of the wind, alert for changes.

His every sense was in tune with his environment, yet whatever was tracking them was as silent as a ghost. If he hadn’t caught that single glimpse by chance, he would have had no idea they had something on their tail.

Even tense as they were, they rose over their hill and began their descent with nary a peep from their pursuer. It was only half way up the next rise, mostly devoid of obscuring stones, that Kaius heard a baying call of hunger.

The author’s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Snapping his head to the noise, Kaius got his first good glimpse of their pursuer. Or, more accurately, pursuers. Five large grey figures left the hidden safety of the rocky formations a good few hundred strides away. Each was large, almost wolf-like, though with blockier heads and jutting fangs that he could see even from such a distance.

One though, one was massive. Whereas its lesser companions would have reached just higher than his waist, the leader of the small pack came up to Kaius’s chest easily.

They waited at the edge of the stone, snarling and snapping as they glared at him with feral hunger.

Porkchop met their calls with a chesty growl of his own, the noise rolling across the gentle hillside like shattering stone, his chest reverberating beneath Kaius’s legs.

Eyes twinkling in anticipation, Kaius swung himself out of his saddle and landed solidly on the ground with a thump. He drew his sword, a smile beginning to tweak at his lips. Heart quickening, he felt the familiar thrum of the Bloodsong start its tune, filling him with a dearly missed fervour.

“Go on then.” he said to Porkchop.

His brother rolled his eyes, but dutifully swiped at him with an easily dodged but very heavy blow. Kaius blocked, feeling his companion’s might as jade claws sparked off his steel. Shuddering under the weight of the strike, he held his ground. Energy siphoned, charging his vambraces just a little.

Honestly, once it had occurred to them that they could prepare a cleaving strike before a fight, he’d felt like a total moron. Such was life.

The clang of stone and steel startled the sneering beasts into action, and the pack shot forwards with a deluge of chittering whines.

Porkchop glowed with hidden mana, heavy plates of sacred jade covering him seconds later. Kaius marveled at the sight, the stout armour resting perfectly over his new barding. He looked fearsome. Strong.

Flicking back to the rapidly approaching pack, he analyzed the group.

Longfang Hunter- Level 14:

Beast, Skirmisher

…